Thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. My name is Andrea Brocklebank, and I'm the executive director of the Beef Cattle Research Council. I'm joined by Fawn Jackson, who is the environmental and sustainability manager for the Canadian Cattlemen's Association.
My family operates a cattle operation in southern Alberta and Fawn is in Manitoba. The location of the majority of cattle operations in areas with comparatively poor soils, low rainfall, and uneven terrain makes raising cattle challenging. Building resiliency to changing climatic conditions is second nature to producers. It's an area that we have long focused on, and we will continue to do so.
Today, the Canadian beef industry has a tremendous opportunity to expand. This is exciting not only for our producers but for the 228,000 Canadians who work within our industry. This is also exciting for the conservation community, which understands that more cows mean more grasslands and more habitat for wildlife.
Our ability to expand will be contingent upon long-term investments in research and sound public policy to ensure our industry's resilience. The BCRC funds research to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of Canada's beef industry. We have administered two beef science clusters and are currently awaiting a decision from Agriculture Canada on our third science cluster. Continued investments in research are critical to developing solutions to the challenges presented by climate change. I'd like to give you two examples.
First, Canada's cold winters have prevented many parasites and animal diseases from surviving and becoming endemic here. Climate change threatens animal health and welfare, and research has shown that disease-bearing parasites are expanding their ranges.
The dog tick can carry the bacteria that causes anaplasmosis, which results in abortion, anemia, and severe productivity losses in cattle. This tick used to be found in southern Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan. Recent research has found this tick farther north in Manitoba and as far west as Alberta.
Widespread ticks will make it much easier for anaplasmosis to spread. This is only one example of the animal health and welfare implications of evolving parasite and disease profiles associated with climate change. Investments supporting surveillance and alternative treatment strategies will be important in understanding animal health risks, as well as strategies to mitigate these risks and maintain animal health and welfare.
Second, we know that demand for food is growing globally and that Canada can play an important role in meeting that demand. This is not an easy task given that climate change could negatively impact productivity at a time when we need to improve productivity. Climate change is expected to result in greater climate variability, which includes extreme weather events and more frequent occurrences of regional climatic conditions that are too hot and dry or too cool and wet. Climate variability increases the risk of crop failures and, as a consequence, more land may be allocated to pastures, which are less susceptible to periodic stress than annual cash crops. Even on these resilient landscapes, though, losses in productivity and ecosystem health can happen very quickly, while improvements are usually made very slowly and over a long period of time.
Consequently, investing in forage and grassland research is critical not only to maintain but to enhance productivity, focusing on enhancing resilience to drought, waterlogging, heat stress, and frost, while at the same time preventing soil erosion, protecting soil carbon, and preserving moisture. In building resilience to climate change, government can play an important role through research by fully funding the proposed third beef science cluster. Furthermore, we recommend the funding of the smart agri-food supercluster, investing in long-term, higher-risk discovery research, and investing in critical research infrastructure and capacity.
To change over from research investments to policies that support resilience, the CCA has three main areas of recommendation.
First, continue and expand investment in disaster response programs. With climate change, the risk of severe weather events increases. Droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events significantly impact the economic and environmental performance of our industry. As these risks increase, it is imperative to have tools available to help manage financial risk for our producers. CCA believes there needs to be sufficiently funded national agriculture risk management programs that are delivered consistently across all jurisdictions.
AgriRecovery has been delivered in several areas in Canada and has helped producers sustain their business after weather-related disasters. However, there is room for improvement, including the creation of clear triggers and reference materials regarding what the program will and will not cover. Historically, AgriRecovery's dependence on political decision-making during a disaster has compounded confusion in challenging times and has made planning for disasters enigmatic for producers.
Second, invest in forage insurance. While the CCA understands the benefits that an ad hoc national blanket framework provides, government should consider the different types of risk that are unique to each agriculture sector. For the beef industry, improved hay and forage insurance that includes a mechanism to help producers account for increased feed prices during times of shortages could potentially replace some of the calls for AgriRecovery responses. The CCA encourages both federal and provincial governments to continue to work towards implementing AgriInsurance recommendations made by the FPT forage task team.
Third, increase investment in infrastructure that supports the long-term mitigation of disasters. The construction of improved water management infrastructure such as irrigation systems and flood structures, including dams and outlets, are examples of worthwhile projects.
In closing, we recommend that primary agriculture and meat and food processing be exempt from carbon pricing. Do not confuse this request with a lack of environmental commitment. It is just not right the tool for the beef industry. The greenhouse gas footprint per kilogram of Canadian beef is half the global average and has fallen by over 15% since 1981. These improvements are the result of research, innovation, and appropriate policies, such as those we've mentioned today.
Thank you for your time. We'd be happy to answer any questions.